Erratic NBA commentary from a guy with no handles, bad court vision, and a laughable jump shot

Saturday, January 3, 2009

At Center Court with Sixers4Guidos

Ricky for from Sixers4Guidos is, in his own words, a proud Kyle Korver groupie. By running the best Italian-based, Sixers-dedicated blog on the internet, he represents a small but integral part of David Stern's master plan for global domination. And he lovingly calls me Timmy, which is something. I'm just not sure what. The picture to the left may or may not be Ricky, but it is certainly a Guido. We think. Whatever, on to the conversation.

TV: Samual Dalembert is on the trading block? What can the Sixers reasonably expect to get in return for him?

S4G: Honestly I don't think we could get much for Dalembert. His contract is huge (running for two more seasons after this one, at 11.3 and 12.2 mill...) and he's having career lows in PPG and FG %. But the most important thing is that he's playing like crap and affecting the team negatively, often committing stupid mistakes in key moments of the game. I don't think that anyone who has seen him play this season would want him, quite frankly.

This will be on GM Stefanski. If he lands anything valuable for Dalembert, it will be a masterpiece trade. Maybe a team in desperate need of a big man (emphasis on "desperate") and with a short term goal in sight (a playoff spot or a deep run in the postseason) could perhaps bite and trade for him, which is what I'm hoping for. But I'm afraid we will get other garbage in return: I just hope it will be garbage we would get rid of earlier than him (like expiring a year before). He could be put in a package with Andre Miller, who is the Sixers' best asset with an expiring 10 million dollar contract. If you package Miller into a deal the trade possibilities are countless.

TV: When will Marreese Speights begin to see more minutes?

S4G: Let me say that Speights is a very nice player and one of the brightest surprises for the Sixers in this troubling year. Before the season started, many fans and analysts thought he would have had troubles in finding a place in the rotation and now the same ones are asking for a starting spot for him, and at Dalembert's expense. He's athletic (many follow up dunks, alley oops etc), blocks shots, has a nice touch, can shoot from mid-range, shoots FTs well (80%) and has a good "sense" of the game. His rebounding and post defense needs improving, and he probably lacks some inches and bulk to play starting C at a high level, but he's definitely a NBA player. As for his minutes, I think he's been mismanaged by coaches (Cheeks and Di Leo), passing from nights with 20-25 minutes to night's when he logs 1 or 2. More recently, he's consistently getting around 20+, which I think is fine for him in a rookie season. Dalembert's decreasing value and Speight's rise are clearly interconnected.

TV: Lou Williams is a solid young player, but his shot can really work itself into a funk. Will he ever become a permanent starting point guard?

S4G: I like LW a lot but don't think he can be a starting PG for a contender. He's more a combo guard, Jamaal Crawford-type, that is probably more effective off the bench. He likes to shoot and will never be a passing-first PG---passing is always his second option. He's almost always used as SG, beside Miller, especially in 4th quarters, when he's always one of Sixers' most effective scorers due to his ability of beating the man off the dribble and knocking down the long jumper. Williams is a clutch crunch time performer, perhaps the most reliable weapon on a team that loses a lot of games with last second (missed) shots and costly TOs (where we're willing to the blame Iguodala for his ability to shine). Some say LW projects as a Billups type of PG, but in my best case scenario I see him more as a Vinnie Johnson type of scorer.

TV: Coaches: In your opinion, who should Stefanski bring in next summer? New blood such as Mike Budenholzer or a retread such as Avery Johnson or Jeff Van Gundy?

S4G: Not a great fan of JVG, while I think Avery Johnson is a good coach that can only do better with his second team. Don't know Budenholzer enough but I've always been a fan of hard nosed coaches like Sloan and Popovich, so if he's that type of guy, he would be more than welcome!

1 comment:

If the Sixers gave us a boatload of money, maybe we could pull a trade of Dalembert for someone like Kurt Thomas. However, his high salary makes it very difficult to match. And as the guido said, Dalembert might be over the hill. However, his hard scrabble journey to the NBA is part of the Spurs "Joseph Campbell" narrative, which could intrigue the coaching staff. However, I don't see Pop doing that to KT.

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Graydon Gordian: Editor-in-Chief. An ex-pat Texan who resides in Chicago. A fan of the Spurs, Steelers, Mets and Longhorns (and I'll throw Arsenal in there for good measure). A firm believer that sports has a cultural and aesthetic significance far beyond the game in and of itself. A proud member of the Hardwood Paroxysm staff. Contact him at graydon.gordian@gmail.com